Emmanuel Centre
9-23 Marsham Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3DW
UK
The Western Counterpart to Stalingrad
This major talk by Antony Beevor, the bestselling author of Stalingrad, Berlin, D-Day and The Second World War, timed to coincide with the launch of his new book Ardennes 1944, focuses on Hitler’s ill- fated final stand when on 16th December 1944, Hitler launched his last gamble in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes on the Belgium/German border.
Although Hitler’s generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. The Ardennes offensive, with more than a million men involved, became the greatest battle of the war in western Europe.
In January 1945, when the Red Army launched its onslaught towards Berlin, the once-feared German war machine was revealed to be broken beyond repair. The Ardennes was the battle which finally broke the Wehrmacht.